ACT Past Papers with Answers

Source question 2. contributions contribution's contributioThs's Her staiue of Sojourner Truth- a nineteenth-century

Source question 3. abolitionist and wonen's rights advocate, stands Iwelve f¢ct tall and weighs two tons. Her thirteen-foot-tall depiction of Roots author Alex Haley weighs five

Source question 4. at a weight of weighing weighted tons. As famous as she is, Allen captured each figure

Source question 6. create the manufacture of create carefully removed from thc clay and filled with wax. After the wax was cooled and the rubber is discarded,

Source question 7. cooled cools that one is touched up to mirror the clay original. The

Source question 8. that wax qtatue is then coated with liquid ceramic, which hardens over several days. When the ceramic mold is fired

Source question 9. a time period of several days. Ihe duration of several days long. several days, duration of time. in a kiln, the wax burns oui of (he mold, leaving Ihe empty ceramic shcll-thus the name "lost wax" process. The statue is then completed by filling the eTnpty ceramic shell with molten bronze dnd breaking ilwdy the shell once the bronze hag cooled. Allen became interested in painting and sculpting io as a young girl. She took over four years to complete io

The best placement for the underlined portion would which porlray.s Haley Seated with an open book. For where it is now. after the word portrays. after the word with. after the word book (and before the period). some Sojourner Truth statue in Michigan, Allen

Source question 12. its spent more than a year on the clay model alone. ACT-70G GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. 13 o mimic the coarse fabric in Truth's dress.

The writer i% considering deleting Ihe underlined por- tion (adjusting the 'punctuation as needed). Should the underlined portion be kept or deleted? A, Kept. because it adds inforrniltion about the pur- pose for the location of Allen's statueti. Allen crcatcd the statues of Truth and Haley. about Truth and Haley in the conclusion of the essay. already presented in the preceding paragraph. characterizing it as a way of "writillg OUT history in bronze." PASSAGE 11 Polaris: Not Alway5 the North Star Polaris, the star now altnost directly over the North Pole, has played a significant role in many rnythologies

Which of the following alternatives lo the underlined portion would NOT be acceptable an iinportant a prominent an (Ibundant a major 16 and in the history of navigalion. For celltuFies. sailors and leiiders of desert caravans used the North Star to chart their courses. Polaris h<lA been called the Lodestar, the Steering Star, and Stella Miiri.Y (the Star ot the Sea). 17

If thc writer werc to delete the phrase 'the Star of the Sea" (and the parentheses) from the preceding sen- ience, the sentence would primarily lose,, an explanation of Ihe imporiance of Polaris to sailors and caravan leaders. a translation of a phrase from a language other than English. a clarification of the exact location of Polaris. AGT.7CG GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. Finally, people in ancient India believcd it was the Golden 18 Peg that held Ihe universe iogether. In Scandinavian

Source question 18. People mythology. Polaris was thought to be the jeweled head of the World Spike-an enormous nail the Norse gods had hammered into the sky so the stars could revolve

If the writer were to delete the words 'so the stars could revolve aTound it" frorn the preceding sentence, the sentence would primarily lose: sky, according to Scandinavian mythology. an explanation of why the World Spike exists, according to Scandinavian mythology. a description of the jeweled head of the World Spike. a suggestion of a breakthrough in astronomy. [1] However, as the Greek astronomer Hipparchus discovered around 129 BC, the North Star, or polestar, is not eternally fixed over the North Pole, as the mythmakers had supposed. [2] In the process of compiling an astronoTnical catalog, Hipparchus noticed th(It the stars hiid seemingly shifted trom positions noted in Babylonian records from many 20 centuries earliei. [3] He concluded that it was not

Source question 20. werc noted noting the stars that were moving but rather the position from which they were being observed that varied. [4] Precession, in turn, is caused by the gravitational pull of thc Sun and thc Moon on the bulge at Earth'8 equator. [.5J A wobbling in Earth's axis of rotation, called 21

Source question 21. rotation: called rotation (called) rotation called precession. cause this variation in 22

Source question 22. causes are causing are caused position. 23

For the sake of the logic and coherence of thi.8 para- graph, Sentence 5 should be placed: where it is now. aftcr Sentencc l. after Sentence 2. after Sentence 3. ACT-70G GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. As Earth rotates round and round and round Z4

Source question 24. and twirls about H, on its spinning axis like a .spinning top, its axis traces a huge circle that takes 26,000 years to complete. As a result, the North 25

Source question 25. complete, as a result, complete as a result, cornplete as a result Pole's posltion in relation to the 8tars change. Astronomers 26

Source question 26. would of changed. changed. changes. now, know, that, around 3000 BC, Thuban, a star in

Source question 27. now know that now know, that now. know that the tail of the constellation Draco (the Dragon), was directly above the pole. Three thousand years from now, Alderamin, in the constellation Cepheus, is the polestai. 28

Source question 28. will be was Over the 26,000-year cycle, numerous stars will take its, 29 turn as the North Star for a few thousand years each. But

Source question 29. their the Babylonian records should not be discarded. [] Jo

Source question 31. sister, and I sister and I, ister, and I down an embankment into a stream that bisected the family farm. The water ran clear and foot-numbingly 32 cold. We'd set off, walking downstream with the current,

Which choice best conveys the idea that the foli<ige was hanging low? walking vaulting splashing through the shallows. Cicadas buzzed in the hot Kentucky air. 34

Source question 35. unmistakdbly: perfectly unmistakable perfectly, unmistakable pcrfcct [2] Our father told us they werc fos.silized crinDids. [3] Some were embedded in larger stones, while others were loose among the pcbblcs. [4] Still others. the best ones, were cylinders as fat as my thumb, with hollow star-shaped centcrs, they're outlines as distinct as when Ja the crinoids were aliv8. [5] When either of us located

Source question 36. ils such a treasure, we'd snatch it up and crow, 'Got onc!?) [6] At first, they were hard to see. 37

For the sake of the logic and coherence of this para- graph, Sentence 6 should be placed: where it is now. after Sentence 3. after Sentence 4. ACT-7Q GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. Growkng up in Kentucky, these fossils were comrnon.

Source question 40. crinoids are crinoids: crinoids picture the hi118 around our farm submerged beneath iin occan. l imagined crinoids waving in the current, then 41 sinking into sediment that eventually turned into

Source question 41. than .$0 lime.stonc. Otherwisc, the fossils we plucked from Ihe 4Z

Which of the following alternatives to the underlined portion would NOT be acceptable? stride amount 44 gcologic time they repTesented and because we could make them into jewelry. We strung them like bead.8 or buttons onto thread to mak¢: necklaces dnd bracelets. Around our 45 necks and on our wrists, we wore fragments of Earth's history, beautifully preserved.

Source question 45. to make necklaces Acf.70G GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. PASSAGE IV Wild West, White Linens In the late 1800s, people who traveled west

Source question 46. when people traveled traveling of the Mississippi River by train meant heading into a region still rough around the edges: The t¢rrain was rugged. The weather was harsh. Rigid were the Irain's seats. Food was scarce. 47

Source question 49. a water supply for the engines,. (in engines supply of water. an engine's water supply. a little more then ramshackle sheds or hastily erected tents.

Source question 50. much more then The use of campfire cooking and a lack of rcfrigeration meant passengers were likely to be served a concoction of spoiled produce and half-cooked meat impcrsonating stew. In 1901, Fred Harvey's sons took over the comprfiny. sl

Source question 52. could have grown would grow major railroad line, tlfe Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fc GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. Railway. In return for Santa Fe trains deliveiing flesh . produce. meat. and dairy products to his kitchens daily, Harvey promised not to open any restaurants along competitors, routes. Which rcsultcd in that only thc 53 Santa Fe railroad would offer passengers hoi, savory

Source question 54. women-dubbed "the Harvey Girls" women dubbed "the Harvey Girls" term 'waitress" implied servitude not his staff would offer

Source question 55. 55 servitude. servitude, servitude gracious hospitality. [5] And incredible f(x)d. [6] Rather than suff¢ring days-old stew. customcrs ilt Harvey Hou8e were served rneals such dg meat, vegetables, and dessert, 56 all for about .seventy-five cents. [7] In fact, the first

The writer ig considering revising (he underlined por- tion to the following: roast pork with applesauce, asparagus, mashed potatoes, and peach pie, Should the writer make the revisiong tence more vivid. little. H, No, because it contains details that are only loosely related to the paragraph's topic. wordy, known use of ihe expression 'blue plate special, indicaiing a bargain-cost, complete, inexpensive 57

Source question 57. a low-priccd, meal (served on an actual blue plat¢). wa5 on 58

When 'revising the cssay, the writcr considcrs whcther the p&renthelic&l phrase should be deleted. Which of Ihe following seniences best explains the function of the underlined portion? House menu in 1892 and the food being served at Harvey House restaurants today, used earlier in the sentence. Ihis paragraph back to the essay's introduction. It helps to establish the approximate time period in which events in the essay take place. ACT.7C 10 GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. an 1892 Harvey House menu. 59

The writer wants to divide this paTagraph into two in order to separate the description of the Harvey House dccor and SCTVICC from thc dcscription of thc type ot meals offered. The best place to begin the new p(Ifil- graph would be at the beginning of Sentence.. Today, only a few Harvey Houses remain. Still, whenever a roadside diner advertises a blue plate spccial irrc.spcctive of the actual color of the plate-its invoking Harvey's dining philosophy: 60 good food at a rcasonable PTlCe.

Source question 60. there it's PASSAGE V Aquaculture: A Solution or a Problem? Overfishing has depleted much of the world's naturally occurring supply of edible aquatic creatures, Despite a growing recognition of this ecological threat, demands for scafood continucs to rise. The United States 61 alone con8umed around six Million metric tons of seafood

Source question 61. the demands in 2000, and that figure is expected to increase to over eight million by 2025. Aquaculture-commercially raising fish, shellfish, and other aquatic organisms in tanks or enclosures, iq one way to reduce people's dependence 61 on wild-caught creatures, but it has its own drawbacks.

Source question 62. enclosuIes- enclosures: enclosures. By increasing the supply of seafood and avoiding the high tran.sportation costs associated with ocean-based fishing, aquaculture helps keep priccs low for con,8umers. oj

Source question 65. which is natural populations recover. The ecological impact of aquaculture 66

Which choice offers the rnost etfective and logical lead-in to the sentence and the paragraph? G, financial protitability nutTltional benefit long history depends on which species are raised and what method 67

At this point, the writer is considering adding the fol- lowing true information: filler feeders that help clear waste froTll water- environments in which they're raised. On Ihe other hand, Should the writer make this addition here? can be beneficial to coastal areas. and oysters are raised commercially. essary scientific detail. No, because it merely restate8 what's already clearly indicated it] the sentence. farmcd salmon, typically raised in netted ocean pcns,

Which choice make.8 clear that the writer is describing farmed salmon in general raiher Ihan a particular type of farmed salmon? salmon typically raised in netted ocean pens salmon, typically raised in netted ocean pen salmon iypically raised in netled ocean pens, 69 quickly pass diseases, which make salmon ill, in the 711 pens, crowded conditiong, When salmon escape the nets,

Source question 70. sicknesses known as diseases the diseases they carry can infcct wild populations. Salmon also produce massive quantities of wagie. If untreated, 71 that waste cdn contaminatc the land or water where it's

Given that all the choices are tFue, which one most eftectively completes thc paragraph's contrast of rais- ing shrirnp with raising catfish? it lakes about twelve days afier hatching for rhem to become adults. as "extensive" or "intensive. dischaiged into the environment. associated with aquaculture, by the way. scientist.s 73 and aquaculiurisis are developing better waste-removal process¢s as well ab h(Ird-walled pen systems designed

Source question 73. in short, to keep them separate. 74

Source question 74. commercial and wild population those two Question 75 asks about the preceding passage as a whole.